I felt I had a good head start since I was already a real estate agent and was very comfortable with finding comps and figuring out the ARV.

Sellers are always going to look at more money down more favorably unless the agent explains the why behind doing the FHA, especially in a competitive market.

However, if the owner lives in Cuyahoga County or a contiguous county, the owner may be listed as the local agent in charge.

i work with agents, PMs, deal finders, lender, etc. all the time.  

Being an agent will take time to replace your income, 1-2 years.

Did you work with any real estate professionals (agents, lenders, etc.) that you'd recommend to others?

- question: so NO real estate agent in this piece?

What I decided to do was work in what I was interested in and it led me to be an experienced real estate agent specializing in wholesaling off market properties in PA region specifically Philadelphia and surrounding areas such as Montgo, Delco etc.

They used to offer exclusive properties but now it appears that they are pulling MLS listings and will connect you with an agent.

As a MF agent who spends a large amount of time calling apartment owners (or rather, numbers purporting to be apartment owners), please believe me that reaching out to random run down buildings owners is unlikely to get you any deals.